SME, the British engineering and specialist high end audio company, has just announced the launch of Synergy. This is our first integrated turntable featuring a magnesium tonearm, moving coil cartridge and built-in phono stage.

The electronic control circuitry and power supply unit are housed in an external one-piece CNC machined case. This new design offers complete isolation and support and is the perfect environment for the electronics. Speed selection controls are mounted on the front facia panel with LED indicators.

Tonearm

Based on the renowned SME Series IV, Synergy’s tonearm uses the same unique one-piece pressure die-cast magnesium arm tube. Internally damped to be acoustically inert, it is mounted on a precision yoke housing with 10mm ABEC 3 ball bearing races. This unique SME assembly gives high rigidity and allows the bearings to be critically adjusted before the tonearm is installed to the turntable. The yoke is mounted to the 23mm diameter heat treated, ground and honed steel pillar, with a pair of 17mm ABEC 7 ball bearing races that are widely spaced to resist tilt. The cartridge head shell mounting is precision machined and enamel free to avoid interference resonance. Internal wiring is supplied by specialist high end audio cable manufacturer Crystal Cable.

Ortofon Cartridge

Fitted and factory set for immediate use, Synergy comes complete with Ortofon’s ‘exclusive series’ MC Windfeld Ti moving coil cartridge. Utilising the company’s SLM (Selective Laser Melting) technology, whereby fine particles of titanium are welded together to create a body-core optimised for overall rigidity and cartridge weight, the MC Windfeld Ti is fitted with Aucurum coils of gold-plated 6NX oxygen free copper. A specially designed cantilever, which holds the company’s Replicant 100 diamond, known for its thin and light profile and extraordinarily large vertical contact surface, completes the package. A low output impedance of 7 ohm and a medium output voltage of 0.2 mV makes this high calibre cartridge the perfect partner for Synergy’s integrated phono pre-amp.

Nagra Phono Stage

Housed within Synergy’s main chassis, the ultra-compact phono stage is specially developed for Synergy by NAGRA. It is battery powered, offering complete isolation from other power sources. Utilising premium grade electronic components, the amplification is provided by individually selected and matched bipolar transistors combined with audiophile-quality capacitors and precision MELF (Metal Electrode Leadless Face) resistors. The MC input transformers are designed and wound in-house by Nagra, benefitting from the company’s unique experience in this precision field. Connected to the tonearm by Crystal Cable, this reduces the risk of any interference to the sensitive signal. The NAGRA phono stage comes set up and matched with the Ortofon MC Windfeld Ti cartridge. The built-in phono stage resistor values are fully adjustable should the user want to change the cartridge in the future.

Crystal Cable Wiring

Synergy utilises the highest grade, most innovative wiring from Crystal Cable for inside the tonearm, machine and the cartridge connections. This means material never been used before in the turntable-world: pure mono-crystal silver conductors in miniature format. Rare precious metal in its most pure version, lifting the musical performance of the other components on a higher level.